Celebrating Movement

ˈmo͞ovmənt/ : Motion, your position in space and time, a group of people with a shared vision, a new way to think.

Your physical being is an important element of how you experience life through body, mind and spirit. How you move through the world, figuratively and literally, is important to us. Human movement is so amazing and complex, that we believe it deserves a depth of study equally impressive, and a variety of methods to solve problems.

Our clinicians all have a deep and personal understanding of how important it is to be able to be active, and how difficult it is when something impedes that ability. We have chosen our professional pathway not just to make a living, but instead to make a difference, in the lives of our clients as well as in contributing to our profession and our communities.

Our Team

K. Bruk Ballenger

Bruk Became a U.S. Army Physical Therapy Specialist in 1989, earned a B.S. in Physical Therapy in 1997, and a Doctorate in Physical Therapy in 2015. He has an eclectic PT experience, but specializes in working with athletes and active people. He has extensive manual therapy experience, but takes a legitimate biomechanical approach in diagnostic evaluation and treatment strategies. Bruk’s philosophy is to empower clients to engage in their therapeutic process through knowledge and hands-on assistance.

Bruk’s physical therapy career started in 1989 after graduating from the U.S. Military Academy of Health Sciences as a Physical Therapy Specialist. In 1997 he graduated from the University of Washington with a B.S. in Physical Therapy, and in 2015 earned a Doctorate in Physical Therapy.

Bruk’s driving passion is to help people enhance their lives and overcome barriers by affecting the experience one has with their body in the physical-spiritual-emotional connection. He gains inspiration from witnessing countless people, from children to Olympians, prevail over their challenges.

Bruk had a diverse PT work history before settling into sports medicine and orthopedics, including a tour in Saudi Arabia for the first Gulf War with 50th General Hospital, school district pediatrics, and inpatient neuro rehabilitation. Early in his career, Bruk felt that the value of physical therapists was not adequately delivered in a normal clinic, so in 2003 he co-founded Real Rehab Sports + Physical Therapy with Izette Swan. Their patient-centered service model and culture created rapid growth over the years, and was a testament to Bruk’s philosophy of “personal & professional mastery with social contribution.” In 2016 Bruk left Real Rehab to create a new organization that is built to emphasize and grow this philosophy, and better serve active people and athletes, which is how Prevail Physical Therapy was born.

As a lifetime “athlete,” Bruk has played soccer, basketball, baseball, soccer, wrestling, ultimate, rowing, softball, and running track and distance events. He has competed in triathlons from sprint to Ironman distances, Cyclocross, and done many endurance biking events. He enjoys skiing, snowboarding, alpine climbing, running, cycling and swimming. As a Dad he has enjoyed coaching his kids’ teams in basketball, soccer, flag football and wrestling.

For several years, Bruk professionally coached triathletes, runners and cyclists. Other notable accomplishments include;

Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist with the National Strength and Conditioning Association (expired)

USA Triathlon Level I coach (expired)

Certificate in Sports Medicine and Human Performance from University of Washington

Certified in Advanced Biomechanics of the Lower Extremity from Movement Performance Institute

Alison Gillespie

Alison has worked in the outpatient orthopedic setting since graduating from the University of Washington and employs a variety of physical therapy techniques. She strongly believes in education and preventative maintenance to allow patients to actively participate in their own care. She did a residency program in manual therapy with the Ola Grimsby Institute and training in bike fitting through Michael Sylvester of Bicycle Fitting Services and Kit Vogel of CyclePoint.

Alison grew up in the great Pacific Northwest happily exploring dance, skiing, climbing and soccer. This transitioned into a high school and college career in distance running, followed by more hiking, climbing and skiing. After completing a bachelors degree in geology at Whitman College, she spent several years completing a masters in geology and delving into the mysteries of glacial landscapes in the Sierra Nevada. She found physical therapy a natural fit for a born problem-solver and completed her education with a doctorate of physical therapy at the University of Washington.

Alison also completed advanced clinical training at Movement Performance Institute in movement analysis and rehabilitation of conditions related to movement dysfunction. This is especially relevant to athletes who are interested in improving their running, skiing, climbing or soccer performance or who are returning to dynamic sports after injury.

When not nose-deep in textbooks or dreaming up new ways to use technology, Alison can be found training for her next ultramarathon, learning how to stay on her mountain bike, or backcountry skiing in the world-famous fresh Cascade powder/cement.

Cari Matthews

Cari Matthews brings to Prevail Physical Therapy extensive personal and professional experience and passion for endurance sports. Cari enjoys blending her skills as a Physical Therapy Assistant and endurance multisport coach to bring unique insight and value to her patients and clients. She is certified in Advanced Biomechanics of the Lower Extremity and is trained in multiple bike fitting methodologies. Cari is also one of just a handful of Metabolic Efficiency Training Specialists (METS level II).

Cari Matthews brings to Prevail Physical Therapy extensive personal and professional experience and passion for endurance sports. Cari enjoys blending her skills as a Physical Therapy Assistant and endurance multisport coach to bring unique insight and value to her patients and clients. She is certified in Advanced Biomechanics of the Lower Extremity and is trained in multiple bike fitting methodologies. Cari is also one of just a handful of Metabolic Efficiency Training Specialists (METS level II).

She is deeply interested in a multi-factorial approach to help athletes and active people to optimize movement mechanics, improving functional strength, balancing physical and life stresses, and addressing mental and emotional energy contributions for overall health and quality of life experience.

Cari utilizes her knowledge and experience of endurance sports to better understand and treat the patients she sees. She also uses her knowledge as a therapist to assist her athletes in creating a stable platform to safely reach their goals, with a priority in injury prevention so that they can minimize unplanned breaks in training and ultimately improve their experience and performance. After all, the training journey should be an ongoing process to be thoroughly enjoyed!

As a PTA, Cari has had the unique opportunity to work with, and be mentored by many of the highly respected physical therapists, offering a diversity of hands-on training and education opportunities. Through this experience she has developed a specific interest in biomechanics, and has completed extensive training at Movement Performance Institute to earn a certificate in Advanced Biomechanics of the Lower Extremity. She enjoys retraining movement mechanics, from simple daily movements, to high level athletics.

Cari is one of just a handful of Metabolic Efficiency Training Specialists (METS level II). Metabolic Efficiency focuses on the utilization of energy in all types of sports, and can be used as a manipulator of overall health, wellness, and metabolic disorder potential. Individual strategies for exercise, nutrition, and recovery are all utilized to improve Metabolic Efficiency.

Cari is a strong proponent of a multi-factorial approach to life, and strongly encourages clients to consider stress/recovery balance, be it physical, mental, spiritual, social, or other. She recognizes that there is never a "one size fits all" approach to any endeavor, and seeks to help clients discover and eliminate the personal roadblocks to recovery.

Outside of work, Cari likes to explore the beauty of the great Pacific Northwest, usually with her energetic teenage son. She is happiest while on her bike, but also enjoys hiking, bike camping, open water swimming, and snowshoeing. She is eager and willing to try any activity, and recently has taken up and interest in not falling of a pair of skis! She has been a competitive triathlete for over 15 years, and has completed four Ironman triathlons along with countless shorter distance races and ultra-marathons. While no longer as competitive and she used to be, she can be found participating in multiple distance triathlons, X-TERRA racing, cyclocross, and other varied challenges.

Annie Beyer

Annie has always had a passion for movement and a desire to empower others through movement. Throughout college, she pursued martial arts, CrossFit, functional fitness, and exercise physiology. She now instructs self defense seminars for the Seattle area, and coaches fitness classes at Alpha Martial Arts. Her passion for movement led Annie to physical therapy and corrective exercise. Now, Annie is pursuing a certificate in Health Coaching through Emory University. Her vision is to help people from all walks of life find their happiest, healthiest path.

Annie is a born and raised Seattleite. She grew up in the Pacific Northwest hiking, camping, and doing every team sport under the sun. Eventually, she found her true passion; martial arts. Beginning in high school Annie became experienced in Karate, Muay Thai, and Krav Maga. This eventually opened the door to the world of functional fitness, where she weightlifted for the first time in a CrossFit class, and fell in love. Since that day, Annie has continued her passionate pursuit of self-defense and functional training.

Eventually, due to the intensity of her activities, she found herself in the office of a physical therapist. Her experience with P.T. reshaped the way she saw her body, her long term goals, and fitness in general. Annie pursued a certificate in Corrective Exercise through the National Academy of Sports Medicine to expand her knowledge of long term health and maintenance. In the summer of 2018, she became a CES specialist and joined the Prevail team to learn more about the recovery and rehab process.

Annie is now training to be a certified Health Coach through Emory University. Her vision is to help people from all walks of life find their happiest, healthiest path.

When Annie isn’t lifting something heavy, eagerly reading a new health book, or leading class, she’s probably at home watching Harry Potter with her roommates or off in the wild, sea kayaking or hiking. And if she’s not doing those things, then she’s definitely in the kitchen eating something delicious. Probably bread. Or chocolate. Or chocolate cake.

Services

Our clinicians all have a deep and personal understanding of how important it is to be able to be active, and how difficult it is when something impedes that ability. We have chosen our professional pathway not just to make a living, but instead to make a difference, in the lives of our clients as well as in contributing to our profession and our communities.

Physical Therapy

There is no standardization in the types or quality of physical therapy services available to the public, so we encourage you to be a discerning consumer. Although we are unique in our specialty areas, our essential service is physical therapy. We believe that you deserve to get the most out of your investment of time and money when you come to PT, so we use a service model designed to give that to you.

Bike

Serving the unique needs of cyclists of all abilities has been a specialty of our clinicians for many years. Most of these services can be covered by insurance if they are included in a course of physical dealing with pain, injury, or injury prevention. Our clinician have extensive training in bike fitting, cycling biomechanics, and of course personal riding experience. We have a rich history of supporting cycling organizations and events; contact us if your organization is interested in sponsorship.

Run

Running is by far the most complex movement that is intrinsic to humans. A thorough video analysis and clinical exam are the bare minimum needed to start addressing running challenges. Our clinicians are experienced runners who have undergone advanced training in the biomechanical assessment of running. You will not find a team that is better suited to solving your running issues than right here at Prevail PT! We serve beginning runners, professionals, and all abilities in between.

We have a rich history of supporting running organizations and events; contact us if your organization is interested in sponsorship.

P.E.A.R.L. Performance Lab

P.E.A.R.L. (Performance Enhancement And Rehab Lab) is a collection of specialized tools and methods to perform legitimate biomechanical analysis of your unique movement. Our clinicians have extensive training and experience unlike any others to conduct tests, evaluate data, identify and prioritize problems, and provide corrective strategies. All ages and abilities are appropriate for these methods, which can be creatively adapted for a wide variety of movement study. It is especially helpful in cases regarding; walking/running, athletic movement, cycling, and prescription rational for custom orthotics, identifying loading patterns for joint health, repetitive stress injuries, and more.

Orthotics

Custom Foot Orthotics are one way of treating lower extremity issues by altering how ground reaction forces are transferred through the foot, the posture of the foot, and how the foot moves, and how these things affect the rest of the limb and body.

Quite often problems can be adequately addressed with over-the-counter insoles that can be modified with custom corrections, so we offer Superfeet insoles available for retail purchase and correction.

If we are using your health insurance benefits, then your insurance company will dictate reimbursement based on the evaluation and treatment procedures performed each visit. As a rough estimate, use $125 per visit, so if you have a 10% co-insurance, then your cost will be $12.50. Every insurance plan is different, so please understand your particular benefits. Co-insurance costs will be billed to you after insurance reimbursement. Copays are collected at time of service. Deductibles may increase your up-front cost.

Many of our clients opt to pay out-of-pocket for their services. We can supply the necessary documentation for you to provide your insurance company for possible reimbursement if we are not contracted with your insurance company. Our cash payment rate is $130 per hour. Sponsored groups may receive a 25% discount on cash services. Payment plans are available if agreed upon before starting a course of therapy, otherwise payment is collected at the time of service. Cash, check and credit cards are accepted as forms of cash payment. A Ten-visit package can be pre-purchased for $1,000.

Before your appointment we will communicate via email or telephone, to discuss;

Scheduling

Payment/insurance information

Demographic intake information

Facility access

The issues that you need help with and your goals

Please arrive ten minutes early to your first appointment to finish up any remaining paperwork not completed beforehand. Your therapy time will be more efficiently utilized during the first visit if all of your initial paperwork is complete before your appointment time. We can also optimize time if you procure any relevant imaging reports or medical notes and send them to us before your first visit, as well write via email, a narrative regarding your current issues, ideally with a history of other injuries and issues, before your first visit.

Partners

Blog

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Important facility notes

Prevail PT is located inside a fitness facility called Get Strong First, which is located in the same building as the Rat City Rollergirls. Our entrance is on the North side of the building just around the corner from the garage door. You will know you are in the right place if you open the door and immediately see indoor field turf. Walk across the turf to the far end to the clinic entrance on the left. See below for parking instructions. Bring our phone number with you in case you have any difficulties: (206) 788-8807.

Parking:

There is abundant parking in the lot on the South side of the building, but the closest parking to our entrance is an unpaved area by the large, white garage door on the North side, which is accessed by heading Eastbound on 192nd immediately off of Aurora Ave N. (Hwy 99).

Disabled entry: Disabled parking is available on the West side of the building in front of the Rat City Roller Girls entry. The doors at this entry may be locked. Please call (206) 788-8807 upon arrival if the door is locked, or if it is your first visit, so that we may personally guide your access.